Explore the Family Name Thu

The meaning of Thu

1. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from thu, meaning ‘he’ or ‘she’, and possibly also from a homonym meaning ‘one who does something’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 2. Vietnamese (Thư): from the Chinese surname 舒, see Shu 1. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 杜, see Du 1. 4. Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Tu in Jæren and Sunnmøre, a variant of Thue.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Thu in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Thu" has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Thu ranked as the 64,750th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had risen to the 39,052nd spot, a jump of nearly 40%. The count of individuals with this surname also saw a remarkable growth of 96.52%, increasing from 287 in 2000 to 564 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named Thu per 100,000 residents almost doubled, growing by approximately 73% within the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#64,750#39,05239.69%
Count28756496.52%
Proportion per 100k0.110.1972.73%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Thu

When it comes to the ethnicity associated with the surname Thu, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows considerable changes from 2000 to 2010. The majority of the Thu population identifies as Asian/Pacific Islander, with an increase from 64.81% in 2000 to 82.62% in 2010. However, those identifying as having two or more ethnicities decreased by over 64%, and there was a significant drop in the percentage of people identifying as White, going from 30.31% to 14.36%. Although the Hispanic population was previously at 0%, it grew to 1.06% in 2010. There were no recorded individuals with the Thu surname identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native during either census year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander64.81%82.62%27.48%
White30.31%14.36%-52.62%
Two or More Races3.48%1.24%-64.37%
Hispanic0%1.06%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%